Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 662: Chapter 547 Black Box_3

The E12 Area presented a bit of a dilemma. Based on signals from unmanned outposts throughout the Town of Dusk, topographical deductions of the current terrain were made, leading to a conclusion.

It was located right between the Ivory Tower and the Ivy League’s garrison... and was even slightly closer to the latter.

”Why is there no topographic data?” Huai Shi asked curiously.

”Um...”

The Director of Affairs’s expression grew complex. ”Because the place where the signals were transmitted from isn’t on the surface.”

After a brief pause, he said, ”The control center in the D7 Area is located more than 2,000 meters underground...”

”What the hell?” Huai Shi’s eyes widened. ”Underground?”

”Yes, that’s right.”

The Director of Affairs continued, ”According to our exploration, a complex underground terrain structure exists beneath the Town of Dusk. This includes natural large caverns, numerous man-made tunnels, and some intricate buildings with unidentifiable functions. A significant amount of machinery continues to operate within these areas.

If the Scholars in the analysis department were not mistaken, then the control center in the D7 Area is probably a mobile hub that roams the underground of the Town of Dusk all year round.

Its function might also be related to the rotation of the Town of Dusk.”

Huai Shi fell silent.

He was seemingly in thought, but in reality, there wasn’t much to consider.

He was considering whether it was possible to take down both at once.

If there were no competitors, they could have afforded to plan slowly. But now time was incredibly precious, and no one knew if falling a step behind could mean being overtaken by the adversary.

If possible, he didn’t want to leave the Ivy League even a sliver of opportunity. His goal was to suppress them throughout the entire process, give them a severe beating, and ultimately make them recognize reality. They might not need to surrender outright, but they should at least be forced to flee in a sorry state.

But a brief consideration was enough to know it was impossible. Even a wrecked ship has salvageable iron, and the Ivy League, having invested so much this time, definitely wouldn’t retreat at the first sign of setback.

There was no choice but to engage in a head-on clash.

And that day was swiftly approaching.

Before that, the more preparation, the better.

Currently, the Ivy League controlled far more Legions than they did, so rashly splitting forces was clearly not a wise choice. However, since it was underground, this gave Huai Shi an opportunity.

According to other data submitted, the underground environment was generally narrow, making the number of people far less significant. A handful of elites often outweighed a large number of cannon fodder.

”Leave the Gargoyles and the Undead Army to you. If the Paradise Guard and I are not present, can you take down D7?”

Huai Shi looked up, asking bluntly.

”The Iron Crystal Throne does not become useless simply because certain individuals are absent, Mr. Huai Shi,” the Director of Affairs said with restrained laughter. ”If this is your command, we will accomplish it. You needn’t worry about the rest.”

”Then, I’ll handle the underground section of the E12 Area,” Huai Shi said, finally making up his mind.

”Are you confident?” the Director of Affairs asked. ”Do you need to bring the ’wolfhound’?”

Next to him, the mosaic-patterned wolfhound representing the Great Grandmaster at the meeting also lifted a sign and barked, ”WOOF!” to assert its presence.

Although it always seemed somewhat useless, the Director of Affairs had reminded Huai Shi that when it came to head-to-head combat abilities, the most capable fighter currently on the Iron Crystal Throne was this mosaic-shaped white ’wolfhound.’

As one of the Great Grandmaster’s proudest creations, aside from its appearance, it truly was just like a wolfhound. It was exceedingly gentle; anyone could pet it. When utterly bored, it would carry a sign saying ”Big Brother, come play” and play frisbee with the students.

Huai Shi found it hard to believe that this mosaic creature possessed the combat power of a Crowned level in group battles, and that, when necessary, its power could be even more astonishing.

But the Director of Affairs certainly wouldn’t lie about such matters.

”There’s no need.”

After pondering for a long time, Huai Shi eventually shook his head.

In terms of destructive power, he still had The Fly King.

With the Great Grandmaster currently overseeing the decoding, he had no time for other matters. Once Huai Shi left, if the Iron Crystal Throne mobilized in full force, at least the wolfhound could stay behind to help guard their base and prevent a desperate one-for-one trade with the enemy.

Huai Shi, though accustomed to taking risks, knew he had to be cautious when it mattered—he couldn’t put all his eggs in one basket.

Since the decision was already made, there was nothing left to say.

As the meeting came to an end, orders from the highest level began to reach every corner of the Iron Crystal Throne. Within a mere five minutes, all except for the four main research departments focused on decoding had entered a state of war.

After a brief rest of several days, the Hell Exploration and Development Organization, part of the research institution, sprang back into efficient operation.

Huai Shi began to go over his equipment, piece by piece, preparing to set out.

His gear included a full protective suit as bulky as an astronaut’s, a blessed light source sufficient for over 70 hours, various situational gadgets, and standard exploration equipment.

Besides dealing with the 18 hours of daylight in the Town of Dusk, he also had to confront the darkness underground.

Both were terrifyingly lethal Curses.

According to the Scholars’ calculations, the deeper one ventured, the more potent the petrification Curse in the darkness became. Once deprived of light, Huai Shi feared he would instantly turn into a statue, forever trapped in the eternal darkness below.

Hell exploration was no laughing matter—one wrong step could lead to death.

After readjusting his mindset, Huai Shi put on his helmet, then reached for the white cat on the nearby bookshelf and rubbed the top of its head.

”It’s a pity today is Thursday.”

”MEOW!”

The white cat nimbly leaped from Huai Shi’s hands onto his shoulder, settled down, and began licking its paws, unfazed by the impending daylight and darkness.

Anyway, the cat’s form was merely one of Luo Su’s peculiar jokes—it wasn’t even a biological entity. What existed here was merely a projection, so Curses couldn’t affect it at all.

After inquiring about Little Nineteen’s condition one last time, Huai Shi gave a few more instructions to Yuan Yuan, then turned and walked towards the lowest exit of the Iron Crystal Throne.

A truck was already waiting there.

In front of the gate, activity buzzed.

All members of the Paradise Guard had boarded the vehicle, while staff bustled about, installing and calibrating various pieces of equipment and loading supplies.

After a final safety check of the truck, they gave a thumbs-up to the driver’s seat, then turned and sprinted for cover in the designated protection zone.

As Huai Shi took a deep breath, the heavy gates before the truck thundered open. Blazing sunlight surged in from outside like a torrent, instantly engulfing everything.

It seemed to herald a bright future for them.

The truck’s engine roared to life, and it shot out from behind the gate, speeding towards the depths of Hell.

Sunset was six hours away, and the designated location was still 700 kilometers distant.

As Raymond’s smile slowly spread, Huai Shi, inside his helmet, realized something utterly horrifying.

He had forgotten to bring motion sickness medication!